


tongue-tied

by blissblossoms



Category: Fairy Tail
Genre: F/M, gray gives pep talks, jellal is awkward as hell, natsu joins 'what not to wear', ultear and meredy are cheerleaders essentially
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-11-01
Updated: 2014-11-01
Packaged: 2018-02-23 13:35:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,919
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2549399
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/blissblossoms/pseuds/blissblossoms
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“I was just, uh, wondering if you maybe wanted to go out on a, uh… I wanted to know if… Maybe you would like to—? Um, would you like to go on a, er…a friendly outing? With me?” As soon as the words were out of his mouth he wished he could subtly pull Ultear over and have her turn back time a couple of seconds so he could re-ask Erza out on a date instead of a “friendly outing”. Friendly outing. God, who even said that? — Jellal/Erza, in which Jellal is in a constant state of distress and confusion.</p>
            </blockquote>





	tongue-tied

**Author's Note:**

> uhh so hi this is the first fanfiction i've written in a long time?? and it's kind of...idk what drove me to write this i kind of did and 6000 words later i ended up with this monstrosity. well either way, i hope this entertains you in some way or form!!

When Jellal first heard from Ultear that they were going to be stopping at Fairy Tail for a little while, he really wasn’t sure how to react. His first instinct was to be happy because he would get to see a certain scarlet-haired beauty he had always dreamed of and longed for. However, when Meredy had cheerfully mentioned with her chipper smile something about Jellal asking Erza on a date—as in the kind of thing where two people go out and chat or whatever the heck people even did on dates—he immediately froze up and his stomach did a couple of backflips and maybe even a front handspring. 

“How the hell am I supposed to do that?” Jellal blurted loudly, looking helplessly from Ultear to Meredy. “I barely know how to talk to her even when you two are right behind me telling me exactly what to say!”

Meredy shook her head, ‘tsk’ing with a disproving expression on her face. “Now, Jellal. You’re not gonna get anywhere with that kind of attitude, you know,” she teased. “Besides, you and Erza have been together—well, not together, but you know what I mean—for, like, a really long time. And she still hasn’t given up on you yet, despite your awkwardness and inability to form coherent sentences whenever she’s around. Erza accepts you just the way you are.” 

From behind the two, Ultear nodded in agreement. “Meredy’s correct, and that doesn’t happen most of the time,” she giggled, earning a glare and a playful wallop from said girl. “But in all honesty, it’s obvious that Erza is head over heels in love with you. She definitely misses you since we’re all away the majority of the time. Trust me, this’ll be a nice surprise for her.”

Jellal’s jaw tightened, his cheeks flushed red. His palms began to moisten merely at the notion of asking Erza out on a date. If this was his reaction before he even saw her, he was worried about how the actual asking out Erza and then, god forbid, the actual date, would pan out. But then, what if she eschewed his offer? Jellal couldn’t blame her for that one; there was only much they could do before boundaries were crossed and after all, he did have a “fiancé”. (But he was pretty sure Erza knew “fiancé” really didn’t exist, but hey, it’d be awkward to bring up in a passing conversation.) And, against his better judgment, he allowed his thoughts to run rampant for a little while, aka, the 24 hours it took for the trio to arrive at the guildhall. 

“We’re here!” Meredy cheered, entering through the large doors of the guild. Once they were inside, it wasn’t difficult for Jellal to spot Erza sitting next to Lucy. The two girls were chatting with Mirajane who was resting her head in her hands and her elbows on the table. 

Jellal’s countenance brightened up a bit (or a lot) at the sight of Erza laughing, looking angelic as always. He wished he could see her every single day in the place that made her the happiest. Whenever the girl smiled, each and every corner of her face creased in joy, which made Jellal want to smile, and so he did. 

“Geez, loverboy. Maybe you should stop standing there with that shit-eating grin on your face and go over and talk to her. She’s not gonna wait around all day.” Meredy nudged Jellal in a less-than-gentle manner before tilting her head towards Erza’s general direction. 

“Fine, but you don’t have to be so pushy.” He rolled his eyes at Meredy before clearing his throat, rotating around so he was facing the scarlet-haired beauty, and somehow managed to walk over to her. 

Meanwhile, Mirajane spotted a certain blue head amongst the others in the guildhall and immediately smirked. “Erza, I think someone’s here for you,” she giggled, motioning towards Jellal. 

“What do you mean?” Erza inquired as she turned around with a confused expression on her face. Her gaze fell on Jellal’s form walking towards them with his hands behind his head and a sheepish smile on his face. The girl almost instantly got up from her seat and approached him. “Jellal! What are you doing here? 

Jellal took a deep, silent breath before replying. “Er, well, Ultear, Meredy, and I have a job around here and decided to come pay you guys a visit,” he told her with a kind smile.

Erza nodded in understanding. “Ah. Well, it was a surprise, but I’m glad to see you’re doing well. I’ve missed you a lot,” she said, lowering her voice.

“I’ve missed you as well, Erza,” Jellal responded, his tone lowering to match hers. 

“How long are you going to be in town for?” Erza questioned, her eager smile scintillating her face in a way that made want Jellal want to cup her face gently and breathe in the redolence of her hair. 

He was silent for a little while as he pondered about how long this mission would take him and the girls. Hang on—come to think of it, Jellal didn’t have a clue what this mission was even about. He met Meredy’s innocent gaze and rolled his eyes. And then he realized; the only reason they had brought them to Fairy Tail was because they wanted Jellal to talk to Erza. He shook his head, trying his best to conceal the tiny smile threatening to make its way upon his face. 

“For a little while, I suppose. I’m not too sure,” he answered. “But, as long as I’m here at the guild, I was wondering…” Jellal trailed off, his face already heating up to a red color, which certainly clashed hideously with his hair. “I was just, uh, wondering if you maybe wanted to go out on a, uh… I wanted to know if… Maybe you would like to—? Um, would you like to go on a, er…a friendly outing? With me?” As soon as the words were out of his mouth he wished he could subtly pull Ultear over and have her turn back time a couple of seconds so he could re-ask Erza out on a date instead of a “friendly outing”. Friendly outing. God, who even said that?

However, much to Jellal’s astonishment, Erza began to chuckle, the sound dulcet in his ears. “Did you just try to ask me out on a date?” she asked, her tone a mixture of adoration and disbelief. 

Jellal suddenly found the floor extremely interesting. “I—uh, yeah. That bad, huh?” he mumbled sheepishly.

She shook her head. “No, worse. What even is a friendly outing?” Erza laughed a little while longer, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. “But I’ll definitely go out with you.” 

“Great! Wow, that’s—that’s great!” he said, incredulous that she had actually agreed, obviously because of his unmatched eloquence. 

Erza smiled at Jellal. “I’ll meet up with you in front of the guild in a few hours. I promised Lucy I’d go on a mission with her, but I’m sure that I’ll be back in time for our date,” she assured him, a newly grown lilt audible in her tone. 

“Sure, take all the time you need. I’ll see you later, Erza.” He supplied a smile and wave as the girl gathered her things and exited the guild with Lucy. As soon as the two girls were safely out sight, Jellal plopped down in one of the bar seats, letting out a gargantuan sigh of relief. 

“Hmm, not even a goodbye kiss on the cheek?” a voice goaded playfully from behind him. Meredy had a devious smirk on her face. “That’s lame.” 

Jellal groaned. “I already had enough trouble asking her. Now I need to get ready for the date and actually sit alone and carry a coherent conversation with her for, like, an hour. And don’t even get me started on what I’m going to have to wear. And do I bring her flowers? God, how do I approach her?” His expression darkened before he hid his head in his hands, completely at a loss for what to do next. 

Meredy rolled her eyes, crossing her arms over her chest. “Jellal, just listen to yourself right now! Snap out of it; you don’t need to worry. You’re fine at carrying conversations, I’ve only been able to interact with you and Ultear for quite a while now, and you keep me entertained for the most part. Plus, you only have, like, one outfit you wear, right? And just approach her like you normally would,” the girl advised. 

Ultear walked up behind the two with a knowing look on her face as if she had heard their entire conversation from across the room (and it wouldn’t be a surprise, because, well, she’s Ultear.) “Meredy’s right, Jellal. Anyone can see Erza is in love with you and even you can’t screw it up,” she told him in a matter-of-fact tone. 

Jellal lay back in his seat with a frown. “I guess you guys are right,” he said with a shrug, attempting to pass as blasé. “Anyways, I think I’ll go walk around and, er, stretch my legs or something like that.” 

He stood up and walked off. Meredy and Ultear watched as their blue-haired companion ambled off. “Remember, don’t overthink it!” Meredy called, to which Jellal responded with a slight nod of the head and wave of the hand. 

As he drew further and further away, Ultear leaned over closer to Meredy. “You know he’s probably going to do something really dumb that won’t help him with his date later,” she pointed out, eyebrows raised slightly.

Meredy snickered. “I know. But this way it’s more fun for us to watch!” 

Ultear shrugged and occupied the seat Jellal had recently abandoned. She couldn’t agree more with her logic. 

 

Maybe it was due to his inexperience, or maybe it was because he was just really, really, desperate. Either way, Jellal couldn’t help but cringe inwardly as he stood in front of Natsu and Gray, prepared to ask the two about how he should approach the date with Erza.

“…So, uh, since you two are obviously good friends with Erza, I just wanted to ask you a few questions—”

Natsu shook his head and raised his hand as if to silence Jellal. “Say no more. I heard you and Erza talking about it earlier and Lucy was squealing about it right before they went on their mission. You want us to teach you how to act on the date, right?” he said, looking up at him with a surprisingly eager expression on his face. 

“I—uh, yeah,” Jellal said. “So, would you two be willing to help a guy out?”

“Sure, why not.” Gray stood up with his hands on his hips. “I’ll help you. But if I were you, I wouldn’t be too keen on letting Natsu help you out with anything even remotely related with girls.” 

Natsu glowered. “What the hell is that supposed to mean, ice princess?” he demanded angrily before standing up and shoving his face into Gray’s indignantly. 

“It just means that you’re not all that experienced with girls. It’s just the facts,” Gray replied with a casual shrug, an act that clashed with the satisfied smirk on his face.

“Well, I’m not the one who drives women away screaming whenever I start stripping!”

Gray rolled his eyes. “Okay, sure. My stripping habit might be a tiny bit off-putting, but is that really worse than Natsu’s inexperience? He’s absolutely clueless when it comes to girls and everything. At least I have the main idea,” he stated matter-of-factly. 

Jellal watched the two argue with an exasperated expression on his face. “Both of you can help me,” he said, rocking back and forth on his feet. He was eager to start preparations for the date as soon as possible. (And because he needed all the help he could possibly get.) 

And eventually, the three boys found themselves seated at a table that was rather secluded from the rest of the guild. Jellal had managed to find a piece of paper and a pen to record his revelations and Natsu and Gray were seated on either side of him. 

“So, I say the first thing we need to do is come up with a codename for this thing,” Natsu suggested while resting his head in his hands. 

Gray narrowed his eyes in confusion. “And why would we bother doing that?” he questioned skeptically. 

“Bee-cause, what if one of the girls overhears us? She’ll tell Erza for sure; all girls love gossip. It’s a proven fact,” Natsu said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. 

“That’s ridiculous. Plus we would waste precious time if we discussed a codename, dumbass.” Gray rolled his eyes, taking the tone of a parent upbraiding misbehaving child. 

Natsu pouted. “Yeah, well, blame Gray when Erza finds out, Jellal. She’ll think you’re trying too hard and she’ll get totally turned off!” he exclaimed. “Then all of our work will have been for nothing.” 

Jellal sighed in frustration, mentally mulling over his (all less than satisfactory) options. He knew for a fact that Natsu’s stubbornness would prevent him from getting away without a codename and that the two rivals wouldn’t stop bickering unless he cut in and decided for them. 

“Okay! We’re wasting time right now by arguing over whether or not we should use a codename, so let’s just come up with one and then get on with it,” Jellal said, keeping his voice even. 

“Ha! Take that, Gray,” Natsu proclaimed, punching a fist up in the air and sticking out his tongue. 

Gray rolled his eyes in retaliation, muttering quiet obscenities under his breath. 

“So, did you have an idea in mind for the codename, Natsu?” Jellal questioned, turning to the pink haired boy. He was planning on accepting the first suggestion and running along with the plan as soon as humanly possible. 

“Well, I was thinking—”

Gray scoffed at that, earning an irritated glare from Natsu. 

“I was thinking that we could call this Operation: Jerza,” he suggested with a smile on his face. 

“Yeah, that’s perfe!—wait, what does Jerza mean?” Jellal inquired, bemused. 

“It’s a combination of your name and Erza’s name. I took the J from yours, and the rest of Erza’s,” Natsu explained, looking exasperated that they didn’t understand his genius.

“Wow,” Gray said, quiet for a second. “That’s the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard!” 

“No, that’s perfect!” Jellal cut in quickly, eager to proceed to the next phase in their date planning. “Okay, moving on!” 

“Thank you, Jellal. I’m glad that at least one person here is smarter than a fly,” Natsu said, pointedly glaring at Gray. 

“Er, yeah, no problem.” Jellal glanced back and forth between them and decided to leave the two and their issues be; life was probably much simpler that way. “Anyways, are we going to start planning or what?” 

“Right!” Natsu exclaimed. “So, we need to first get a better outfit for you.”

Jellal couldn’t help but tilt his head in confusion. “A better outfit? What’s wrong with this one?” Instinctively, he looked down and gave his current ensemble a once-over. “I wear it all the time.” 

Natsu nodded. “Yeah, that’s exactly why we need a better one,” he said with something akin to hauteur in his tone. “There’s a new clothing store right near the guild.” 

“Well, when I asked you for help, I didn’t really think that a new outfit would be—”

“Yeah, yeah. Anyways, I hope you have some money on hand because I sure don’t!” 

And with that, the pink-haired mage stood up from his seat and exited, pursued by a flummoxed Jellal and a rather amused Gray. 

 

Natsu scrutinized the piece of clothing, holding it out in front of him to get a good view. “No way. Take this monstrosity back,” he commanded, thrusting it back into Jellal’s hands. 

“Are you kidding me? That’s the third shirt you’ve turned down!” Jellal said, half-groan, half-whine. “How much longer does this have to go on?” 

“Until you find me a shirt that doesn’t completely clash with your hair!” Natsu replied, shoving him off in the direction of another clothing rack. 

Jellal made no effort to conceal his annoyed moan as he trudged off to the other side of the store. Mindlessly slipping his thin fingers through the bounties of clothing, he managed to find six more outfits he liked, and Natsu managed to turn all of them down with a snarky comment about the color scheme or the pattern. 

On the tenth outfit Natsu refused, Jellal violently placed the hanger back on its rack and balled up his fists in frustration. “Geez, if you keep on turning down my suggestions, why don’t you find one yourself?” he groaned, wanting nothing more than to get an outfit and then move on with the plan. “And why aren’t you helping?” Jellal eyed Gray somewhat accusingly.

The ice mage simply shrugged and shifted around in his seat. “You declined my help when you went along with Natsu’s plan instead of mine. And anyways, it’s a lot more entertaining to watch,” Gray said in a matter-of-fact tone. 

Jellal sighed an exasperated sigh in response, merely causing Gray to shrug and lean back in his chair. 

“Don’t worry, I’ll find you an outfit,” Natsu assured him. “I promise Erza will love it.” And before Jellal could even say anything about his tastes or preferences, Natsu disappeared into the abundance of clothing. All you could see was the top of his pink head poking from the top of the racks. As the dragon slayer scoured the ends of the store for a suitable getup, Jellal plopped down in the seat next to Gray.

“We only have an hour before I have to meet Erza,” he noted, wringing his watch around his wrist nervously. 

“Don’t worry. I’m sure that the bonehead’ll be able to slap together an outfit sooner or later,” Gray guaranteed, watching as said bonehead examined a rather horrid number bedecked with studs. “And if you don’t mind me asking, why are you putting so much effort into this date? I mean, it’s good a thing you care enough, but I don’t understand why you’re busting your butt.”

Jellal’s lips remained pursed for a second. He let out a sigh and shifted his weight to the elbows on his knees. “Well, because, she’s Erza. She’s just so…so good and she’s everything I wish I could be. I’m afraid that if I mess up or do something that’s not worthy of her, she’ll realize that I’m not worth her time. I’m scared she’ll up and leave. So I need to make sure that everything’s perfect and I can’t screw anything up,” he disclosed, biting his lower lip out of bad habit. 

Gray turned to face Jellal to get a really, really good look at him. “Dude, what are you even talking about?” 

“What—? I don’t—” Of all the reactions Jellal had been expecting, this wasn’t one of them.

“C’mon. How could you be so blind? Erza likes you just the way you are. I know you’re always spouting that crap about how ‘she walks in the light’ and how you need to ‘atone for your sins’ and all that good stuff, but…you don’t.”

“But, I can’t be with her…I don’t—I don’t deserve her!” Jellal insisted, struggling to keep the nearby shoppers from hearing his deepest insecurity.

Gray groaned, not worrying to mask the frustration in his tone. 

“Hey! Try to be a little patient here,” Jellal said, obviously just as frustrated. 

“I’m sorry, but I just can’t help it,” he replied in defense, holding his hands up in surrender. “But, I don’t think that what you deserve is really up to you. You deserve Erza because she chose you. That’s what makes you deserve her: her choice.”

“No, I—”

“Do you know how many times Erza has entered the guild hall blushing like crazy because of a letter she got earlier in the day from you? How many times she’s taken a mission where Crime Sorciere was rumored to have been last seen? She cares about you, Jellal,” Gray asserted, an earnest quality to his tone. 

Jellal shook his head rapidly as if to shake Gray’s words out of his mind. “No. No, there’s no way. I just can’t picture someone like Erza choosing someone like me. I won’t let myself believe that,” he averred, still shaking his head. He could spot Natsu’s pink hair walking towards them from behind the clothing racks. “Now, if you don’t mind, I must resume preparations for my date.” 

Natsu approached them and set down the clothing he had ever so carefully culled. “Okay, you can choose from these options. Feel free to ask me any questions,” he instructed, motioning to his picks. 

Jellal blinked as he held up an outrageous, cheetah print number up to his torso and looked in the mirror. “Uh, Natsu? What exactly was your inspiration for choosing this one?” he questioned, dubious. 

“Oh, that’s my favorite one. I chose the cheetah print because girls love animals, and wearing cheetah print shows that you like animals as well!” Natsu explained with a bright smile. 

In the background, Gray couldn’t help but grimace. “Wouldn’t that have the opposite effect on girls? If you’re wearing cheetah print, that would mean you killed the animal to get the shirt,” he muttered under his breath, tilting his head to get a good view at it. 

Jellal narrowed his eyes inquisitively. 

“Trust me, it’ll work. And the orange will go really good with your hair, I promise,” Natsu insisted, nodding eagerly.

“In what world does bright blue go well with orange?” Gray asked in disbelief. 

“Er, I don’t know if this is the best option for me…” Jellal said warily, holding the shirt out at arm’s length. “It just seems a bit, uh, showy.” 

“Showy? Cheetah print? Never,” Natsu replied, dead serious. “I swear this will work!” 

Maybe Jellal truly believed him; maybe he just wanted to get this entire ordeal over with. Either way, the blue haired man took the cheetah print shirt and the corresponding pants (sequined black, “all the rage”, as Natsu had put it) and slammed them up on the check out desk. 

The girl working behind the register turned her nose up slightly at the clothes as she scanned them and folded them neatly into a paper bag. “May I ask what you’re buying these for?” she questioned while gratefully accepting the money Jellal had given her and placing it in the register. 

“I’m going on a date,” he responded with a pleasant smile. 

The employee’s eyebrows creased in a mix of confusion and amusement, but she said nothing more as Jellal scooped up his bag and exited the store with Natsu and Gray trailing not too far behind.

 

As they trekked their way back to the guildhall, Ultear and Meredy managed to catch up with them. 

“Jellal! Erza, or, well, Erza told Mirajane who told Lisanna who told Lucy who told us that she was going to meet you for your date at that cute little café near the guildhall!” Meredy informed him excitedly. “Erza just came back from her mission and she’s probably on her way there already.”

Ultear nodded. “We’re staying at the hotel we always stay at whenever we visit Fairy Tail. Don’t be too late,” she teased. The two of them off walked off together, leaving Jellal even more nervous about his date. 

“Don’t worry, bro. Wear that outfit and I’m sure your date will go fine,” Natsu said. “Good luck!” 

“By the end of the night you’ll see that I was right all along about you and Erza, but for now, good luck.” Gray nodded at him before walking off with Natsu towards the guildhall. 

Jellal took a deep breath and began the walk to the café. It wasn’t too far from where he was, so he arrived relatively quickly, and he wasn’t whether that was a good thing or a bad thing. Through the glass of the café’s double doors, Jellal was able to see Erza sitting in a booth with her back to him, listlessly looking over the menu. 

With a deep breath, he mustered every spare drop of courage he could conjure up and opened the door, sending a cute tinkling sound through the room. Thankfully, Erza didn’t see him, allowing Jellal to sneak into the bathroom with his shopping bag clutched tightly in his hand. 

He haphazardly stepped out of his current clothing (which did smell a little ripe after wearing it constantly) and into the outfit Natsu had artfully picked out. With one quick glance in the mirror, Jellal stepped out of the bathroom and started to walk towards Erza in the back of the café. 

There was a decent amount of people sitting around, all chatting gaily about their daily happenings. However, as Jellal passed by the tables, many people stopped to stare at him and his outrageous getup. Sure, the cheetah print shirt was rather tight and showcased his muscles quite well, but the actual shirt itself was a bit atrocious. Almost everyone was stunned into silence; even the shopkeeper who had been perusing the latest issue of Sorcerer Magazine had her mouth agape and eyes wide.   
Jellal’s footsteps could be heard, a stark contrast to the current state of stillness in the shop. He eventually reached Erza’s booth and slid on the side her opposite with a smile. 

“Hello Erza. Sorry I’m late; did I make you wait long?” he questioned politely. 

The scarlet-haired girl responded with a blink and quick sweep of his outfit. “Er, no, I wasn’t here for too long…” Erza said, halfway between baffled because of his getup and delighted because of him himself. “I, uh—how are you?” 

Jellal shrugged casually. “I’m fine. Although, there was this one dark guild Ultear, Meredy, and I had to take down a couple days earlier. They had such weird powers and their lacrima was really tiny and square shaped. I think they called it a cellular phone? Or something like that,” he recalled, chuckling slightly.

As he continued his recounted his adventures with the dark guild, Erza couldn’t refrain from stealing glances at Jellal’s sad excuse for an outfit. 

“And then, we took our— Erza, what’s wrong? You seem really distracted,” Jellal said, looking at her intently. “Are you feeling okay? Did the mission earlier wear you out?” 

Erza shook her head, touched that he was so concerned about her. “No, it’s not that. I feel fine. I’m just… Why are you wearing that?” she questioned, pointing to his getup. 

Jellal immediately looked down, blushing. “Well! Um, I may or may not have asked Natsu to help me pick out something to wear for our date,” he admitted sheepishly, refusing to meet Erza’s eyes. 

“First of all, you asked Natsu? You could have at least asked Ultear and Meredy,” Erza pointed out. 

He knew that Natsu was not fashion-savvy; the outfit proved it, so he nodded in agreement. “I know, I know.” Jellal sighed, burying his head in his hands. “I guess I just turned to Natsu since he and Gray were the only ones not busy.” 

“But, I’m curious; why did you decide to choose an outfit in the first place? You always wear your Crime Sorciere outfit,” Erza asked, shaking her head slightly in confusion. 

Jellal shifted on his side of the booth uncomfortably. “Well… I don’t know. I just wanted to make sure that this date would go well since you’re just, so special, and I didn’t want to screw things up.” He bit his lip anxiously and simultaneously eluded any eye contact with her. “I was, well, nervous.” 

“What were you so nervous about, Jellal?” Erza scanned him earnestly. 

“I— Well, you! I’m always, always nervous about you and what you really think of me. After I’d done all those…those terrible things to you and to everyone else, I never thought that I deserved someone as—as good as you, Erza. You’re just so damn good, and I don’t deserve that. I don’t deserve you.” At this point, Jellal had sunk with his back leaning on the booth, his expression downcast. “I thought that you at least deserved someone who could take you out on a date and wear appropriate clothing, but it appears I’ve failed at that as well.” 

Erza was shocked into silence for a while, before reaching out over the table and grabbing Jellal’s hand in hers. With her other hand, she gently lifted his chin up to face her, and he could see her smile that reached her eyes. 

“Jellal… You don’t have to worry about that. I’ve already chosen you, and shouldn’t that be enough?” Her tone was resolute, yet had a sweet undertone to it, much like her personality. “The truth is, I love what you are and what we have now. I wouldn’t change it for the world.” 

Jellal shook his head, desperately confused. “I just don’t understand. You’ve probably got, like, twenty people on the run for you because, well, you’re kind of amazing, and yet you still choose me? They could all offer you things I can’t when I’m on the run all the time because of what I did to you and our friends. Why are you settling for me out of all people?” he questioned, looking up at her devoutly.

It was now Erza’s turn to shake her head, however, she was smiling. “I’m not settling; you’re my first choice. We’ve known each other for so long, and even though we’ve spent so much time apart, there’s just something that draws me to you,” she said, and she’d never admit it, but her cheeks were heating up just a little bit. “And maybe…maybe I can’t explain it. Maybe there’s no reason that I’ve chosen you except for the fact that I did. I choose you.” 

After Erza had finished talking, there was a silence that left skin crawling and ice unbroken. For quite a while, Jellal sat on his side of the booth, palms pressed together, almost in a position of prayer. His expression remained stoic and unreadable, and his eyes did all they could do avoid contact with Erza’s. 

“Um... Jellal? Are you, uh, alright?” she inquired, concerned. She wasn’t quite sure if he was upset, angry, happy, or simply shell-shocked. 

“GODDAMN, I should’ve paid attention to Gray in the first place,” Jellal yelled, slamming his fist on the table. However, the impact of his punch caused his cup of coffee to spill all over his new outfit. (For the greater good, most likely—an ensemble that atrocious was destined for tragedy.) Many people looked by and the café grew silent with the occasional mumbling. “He told me to stop worrying so much about trying to impress you and that you already loved me and wow, I can’t even believe I listened to Natsu in the first place, why didn’t I listen to Gray? Does this happen often? Is Gray usually better in these situations? Because if I’d known, this entire thing would have gone much smoother. In fact, I wouldn’t even be saying what I’m saying right now because he would’ve told me I was—”

“Jellal.” Erza’s voice was firm. “We should probably carry on this conversation without so many people watching.” 

He turned his head to see almost everyone in the little café watching the scene unfold in front of them and could do nothing but laugh sheepishly. “Er, right. I’ll walk you back to the guild since it’s getting late and all,” Jellal said, standing up and leaving a tip on the table. 

Soon, they walked out of the building and began their walk to the guild. The night was quiet and peaceful; it was the type of night to share with someone. Jellal glanced over at Erza and smiled, which the scarlet-haired girl returned effortlessly. 

“So, were you really desperate enough to ask Natsu and Gray? I mean, I know that you said everyone else was busy, but anyone would be better than those two,” she pointed out. 

“Well, Natsu seemed pretty excited to help. Really excited, actually. It was pretty hard to turn him down after that,” Jellal defended. “And that’s not true! Not everyone would be better than them… What about Master Makarov?” 

Erza shook her head. “Have you seen his outfits? He matches from head to toe,” she giggled. 

“Okay, fine. Hm, what about Gajeel?” 

She went silent for a moment, pondering his suggestion. “Even though the piercings aren’t really my thing, his outfits work on him.” 

As the stars shined overhead, the two of them were nearing the guild. Their conversation ended when they arrived at the front gates. (Jellal had determined that Sting’s help would be worse than Natsu and Gray’s, while Erza argued that Sting wasn’t even in the guild and therefore did not count—Erza won the argument, because, well, she’s Erza.) 

“I had a really fun time tonight,” she said, smiling softly up at him. 

Jellal nodded. “Me too. Although I did waste money on a hideous outfit and now I can’t return it to the store,” he said with a sigh. “But, at least I got to spend it with you.” 

“Let me know when you’re in town,” Erza told him sternly. “We can go on another friendly outing, and you don’t have to wear a ridiculous outfit again.” 

Jellal rolled his eyes good-naturedly. “Goodnight, Erza. I’ll see you soon.” However, instead of turning and walking back like he would have a while ago, Jellal had no qualms whatsoever when he leaned in towards the girl and kissed her lips tenderly. As the crickets chirped around them and the stars twinkled above them, there were no butterflies in his gut before, during, and after he pulled away gently. 

Erza beamed, the moon brightening her face. “Goodnight, Jellal.” She gave him one last wave before turning back to the guild. 

He rotated around on his heels, giddy with exhilaration. The goofy smile on his face lasted all the way to the hotel where he was staying, and when Jellal entered their room, Meredy and Ultear could pinpoint exactly what had happened.

“What do you think, Ul?” 

“There was definitely a kiss…his face is all red!” 

“The question is, who initiated it?” 

“Erza, of course,” Ultear said, almost automatically. 

Jellal shook his head with a wide, proud smile on his face. “I did,” he practically whispered, still stunned that it had happened.

The girls looked rather impressed. “Wow, that’s a shocker! I betted that you’d attempt to kiss her, but then make some lame-ass excuse like you did last time,” Meredy said, pouting. She fished into her pockets and slapped money into Ultear’s hand reluctantly. 

“Right, well, I’m gonna head to sleep now,” Jellal said, too dazed to get angry with them for betting on his date. 

He walked into his room, took off his clothes and gingerly brushed them aside, set the blankets on the floor neatly, and turned out the lights. As he lay under the shear covers, staring up at the ceiling, for the first time in his life, he was satisfied, all thanks to a certain scarlet-haired lady.


End file.
